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The 10% cap on credit card interest rates set by President Donald Trump has expired. Experts say it faces legal hurdles.
- A growing number of companies nationwide are introducing surcharges on credit cards.
- Business owners have reported few customer complaints regarding these new payment policies.
Jason Lavery had to make a difficult decision last spring. He could raise prices on drinks and food at Lavery Brewing Company and add additional fees to all credit card payments.
Like many other small business owners across the country, Lavery added extra fees. Credit card customers now pay 1.75% plus 20 cents.
“I paid $40,000 in credit card fees in 2025,” Lavery said. “Our operating margins were tightening and our options were to either raise prices across the board or add a surcharge. We introduced the surcharge because we thought it was unfair for our cash-paying customers to increase prices.”
Businesses are constantly considering ways to protect their revenue, and these days, that includes how customers pay for goods and services.
Many businesses, like Lavery Brewing Co., have added credit card surcharges, while some have stopped accepting credit cards altogether. Some have gone the other way and no longer accept cash.
According to J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Merchant Service Satisfaction Study, the percentage of businesses imposing additional fees on credit card purchases has increased to 35%. The percentage of businesses accepting credit cards rose to 96%.
Gus Pine, executive director of Erie Events, said going cashless will save money because employees won’t have to spend time counting and depositing up to $50,000 after hockey games and concerts. However, the main reason for the change was to serve more commissary customers.
“The main issue I saw when I first got here was the speed of service, handling up to 5,000 customers at a time at the commissary,” Pine said. “That’s always been the number one concern that people cite in our annual fan survey.”
Pine said the company no longer needs a separate employee to handle cash at each register, making the purchasing process more streamlined.
“If you walk into the concourse between Erie Otters games, you’ll see a difference,” Pine said. “The waiting time for concessions has been significantly reduced.”
Seamstresses have never accepted credit cards.
Natalia Voets doesn’t have to worry about long lines of customers. The owner of Natalia’s Sewing Center typically sees customers one by one.
They remember to bring cash. Voyetz hasn’t accepted credit cards since she started her business in 2014.
“I didn’t accept payment from my credit card company because I thought I would have to pay them a fee,” Voyets said. “Most of my customers are regulars and know that I can’t take credit cards.”
For new customers, Voyets has two signs taped to the front counter. One has an international “no” symbol placed over pictures of various credit card companies, and the other tells people it doesn’t accept credit cards.
Business owners and venue operators have not heard any complaints.
If a customer doesn’t have cash or personal checks for repairs or modifications, Voyets said he can do business with them.
“We just ask for a deposit of up to $20,” Voyets said. “There were no complaints.”
I don’t have Lavery or Pine. Lavery remembers that not a single customer had complained about the credit card surcharge since it was introduced.
“Our average check is $29, which means an 87-cent surcharge,” Lavery said. “No one seems to care.”
“Honestly, we haven’t received a handful of complaints,” Pine said. “We still accept cash at the box office, and when we went cashless elsewhere, we bought a bunch of prepaid Visa cards so that people who don’t have credit or debit cards can buy and use them for discounts. We’re still using those early prepaid cards.”
Pine said going cashless was an easier decision for Erie Events than for retail.
The wave of customers visiting concession stands during intermissions makes speed of service more important for venues than for most stores, restaurants, and taverns.
Lavery and his staff considered going cashless, but decided against it.
“My manager spends five hours a week counting money and going to the bank,” Lavery said. “Going cashless would save her time, but we didn’t want to penalize customers who pay with cash.”
Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timenews.com. Follow him on X @ETNBruce.
